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| Feb 14 2010, 5:49 PM EST (current) | John_234 | 3704 words deleted, 10 photos deleted |
| Aug 22 2009, 3:31 AM EDT | John_234 | 8 words added |
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This is an overview for Chapters 1-8 of A Decaying Dream.Chapter Summaries-PrologueThe narrator reflects on the infestation, it's causes and ulterior motives.-Ch 1: Raid on the non-existentA recollection of the raid on Secronom.-Ch 2: Call to Death-Ch 3: Wounded Retreat-Ch 4: Rotting FlanksThe consequences of the Secronom outbreak, initial infection and police response.-Ch 5: Clarity through DarknessMainly reflective writing about the aftermath of the initial outbreak, both in society and on the individual level.-Ch 6: Home, Sweet RotA return to the narrator's pre-apocalyptic home, and an encounter with other survivors.-Ch 7: A Beneficial MistakeHostile contact and new friends.-Ch 8: Pursuit of ShelterReturning "home" with several kinds of company.Main CharactersJohnPhysical DescriptionSix feet tall, no fat but not quite as built as some people. Has classic sleeve and neck tans from frequent training. Hair is black and medium length. Tends to wear a neutral expression, eyes have a calculating, but not quite hostile, look to them. Hands are rather large compared to length of fingers.Base clothing is black cargoes with a black, short sleeve top. Always wears longsleeve pants. Usually wears a black jacket or coat depending on climate. Always wears full length combat boots. Typically wears soft armor, but dislikes plate carriers and load bearing vests. Never wears sunglasses unless climate forces it.Carries a 1936 musette pack on a shoulder sling.GearWeb gear consists of belt with various pouches and H-suspenders.-Small of back, right hand black leather holster for 1911.-Downwards pointing black leather shoulder holster for R8 on left side. -Brown leather knife sheath horizontally across back, above SOB holster, grip pointing left. -Two double mag pouches with snaps, carried left side of belt.-Two double mag pouches with snaps, carried left side of suspenders pointing left.-Dual moon clip pouch right side, pointing down. -Flashlight pouch on right side of moon clip pouch. -Belt mounted light in left middle of belt.Inventory-Guncrafter Industries Model No. 1, with .45 ACP conversion.--Twelve 8 round .45 ACP magazines --Ten 7 round .50 GI magazines-Smith & Wesson R8 with light--Twelve 8 round .357 magnum moon clips-M79-KA-BAR, full size smooth edge-Surefire G3-Pacific Coast multi color LED flashlight-Adventure lights VIP five-LED (belt mounted)-Zippo lighter-Several canisters of zippo fuel-Water tight container of storm proof matches-Jack knife style lockpick-Basic medical kit-Stainless steel flaskPersonalityThe narrator, a member of an SRT team during the initial outbreak. A loner, rarely interacts with people unless the situation forces it. Tends to stay out of conflict and not take a side on most issues, although this changes through the events of the plot.Certain topics will set him off, and he will fight for what is right to him. Reflective and occasionally poetic. Can be psychotic in some circumstances.Does tend to care for people around him, but rarely gets to an intimate point. Is curious, and tends to pick up whatever skills interest him.Occasionally smokes, rarely drinks, but can hold his alcohol. However, instead of allowing him to unwind like it should, he tends to be retracted and brooding, which typically ends up distressing him.Refuses to use the drug for any disorders pegged onto him.Has a near obsession with the rain, tends to enjoy things alone.Character FlawsHas a strong sense of justice, but can be indecisive in when to act or not. Socially awkward, and can be overtly blunt.In truth, combat is what he prefers, and what he is good at. He has little consideration or skill at most other things.He tends do things on immediate impulse.Certain triggers make him psychotic, and he has a stubborn inability to forgive himself for mistakes.He isn't bothered by blood, but mass deaths and otherwise large injustices can be mental triggers for him, which ironically end up making him do horrible things.ProficienciesQuick thinker for combat, and loves the rush of fighting. Can operate a variety of small arms, specializes in pistols. Likes pyrotechnics.Can lockpick decently, and has a base understanding of most medical treatments. Has base knowledge of hand to hand and knife fighting, but poor at swords and similar blades. Knows parkour as a both a hobby and on the job skill. Can play string instruments. Can cook. Rides motorbikes as hobby, and decent driver.Jack StrykerPhysical DescriptionWhite, 6'0, 190lbs, bald, clean-shaven, has tribal tattoos on arms, well-toned.Aviators, black muscle tee, Megadeth hoody, dark gray cargoes, black terrycloth wristbands, OD canvas wristwatch is fitted over left wrist, black fingerless gloves, black beanie, combat boots.Gear-Tactical vest, non ballistic--six double rifle mag pouches--two double pistol mag pouches, right side--radio pouch on back of left shoulder--medium sized assault pack with hydration bladder-Duty belt, attached to vest-Weak leg magazine and grenade rig-Drop leg holster-OD nylon-band wristwatch-CanteenInventory-SigPro 2009 --Four 15 round magazines--SigPro Laser sight-8rds for a 12g shotgun, but no shotgun-Bootknife -Knife necklace-Brass knuckles-Zippo-D battery maglight-Canteen, with cup and stovePersonalityFormer cop, was laid off from city budget cuts and delved into the local counter-culture he once loathed. Jack retains his professionalism amidst his otherwise delinquent life in the rougher parts of the city.Suspicious but not paranoid. Dislikes whiners and can be brutally honest and sarcastic. Is honorable and follows his duties, but will not take up a job if it is contrary to his own beliefs. Character FlawsHolds seemingly eternal grudges and lets them run deep. Gets primal if he thinks anyone's causing harm to his woman. Drinks strong lagers, rum and whiskey (will also drink whatever's available minus absinthe).Smokes cigars (will not smoke anything else except out of a tobacco pipe).ProficienciesOutdoors person, good at surviving off the land. Experienced cop, knows effective ways to disarm, clear rooms, and search a person, live or dead.Fast to take command in otherwise confusing situations. Powerful swimmer, has excellent sense of direction.Physically very strong, and is hard to break mentally. Good with handguns and rifles. Alice HamptonPhysical DescriptionWhite, 5'7, Black Emo Mop-Top with red highlights, green eyes, emo glasses, 120lbs, pretty face, hourglass frame, thorn tattoos on forearms. Outfit consists of dark-grayish blue faded jeans, studded belt spray-painted black, black, partially rolled up hoodie, black Senses Fail t-shirt, red chuck-taylor all-stars (has scribbles, drawings and stuff on them), black terrycloth wristbands each wrist, earrings and nose-stud on left nostril.Gear-UTG universal shoulder holster rig, left side holster, right side double mag pouch-double mag pouch on right side of belt-Black side bag. -Buttpack-Canteen.Inventory-SigPro SPC2009 (compact)--Four 13 round magazines-Switchblade-Mace-Knife necklace-Leatherman style multitool-Zippo lighter-Zippo fuel canisters-Lock picking kit in case, with automobile picks-Large first aid kit-Angled head military surplus flashlight-Generic steel LED flashlightPersonalityAlice was your stereotypical scene kid, until she met Jack at a rock concert. She then evolved to a hardier, resilient figure in the following years as she hung out with/fell in love with him and lived the way he did. She was with Jack while they were heading to the local hangout when the outbreak occurred. Sarcastic, critical, but ultimately clever and can be passionate. Impervious to most criticism and insults.Character FlawsDoesn't take shit from people, sometimes likes to make Jack get pissed, sarcastic, little too anti-authoritarian at times, mocks people if they whine or bitch, glares at people she doesn't like, sings emo music a lot while in safety...much to the chagrin of the team.ProficienciesA good shot with pistol. Great driver, but reckless. Is skilled at lockpicking, hot wiring, and silent entry. Can fight well, and dirty if necessary, unarmed or else.Easter Eggs, Notes and ReferencesChapter 4"Everyone scrambled at once to the rear ports. Amidst countless corpses, two of the bulky vehicles were strewn across the road.One had back-ended the other with disastrous results. Reflexively, I kicked open the door and dived out." This scene is somewhat similar to the finale of Dawn of the Dead 2004, where two shipping buses that the survivors modified with armor and weaponry are used to escape the mall. At one point, they take a turn too hard and one of the vehicles flips onto it's side. The survivors hold off the undead and pile into the still functional bus.--------"I turned back to support as the others retrieved wounded. The crowd had near enveloped the three men, their backs to the old library.""Tattered Diary" is an in-game item that can be read by the player. It details the account of a police officer, who barricaded himself inside a library along with several other survivors. This is also mentioned in the official game timeline. The officers backing into the building were intended to give a reason for how they may have been trapped inside.--------Chapter 5"Back then, they came in form of almost fresh bodies colored in the blues and reds of death."This refers to a minor change in dead frontier. For the first year or so after release, the weakest zombies in the game were a bluish color. They were later changed to a grey color, but retained identical statistics. Perhaps this referred to zombies decaying after some time, but no reason had been given for the change.--------"The LED light on my belt threw shifting illumination and darkness upon long neglected metals and peeling paint."A minor detail I included; as time goes on, and modern, factory produced batteries become very scarce, people start to more widely use LED lights to get as much life from what they have. Not only is the battery life long, but LED's themselves are near impossible to break.--------Chapter 6"The M79, without any sort of ammo to fire, was more or less useless, and it replaced the compartment where the revolver had previously sat." Readers have told me that this reminded them of the older Resident Evil games, swapping items as the player would with an item box. This was compounded by the fact that the weapons in question were an M79 grenade launcher and a .357 magnum revolver, both featured heavily through the series.The interesting thing about this particular tidbit, was that the similarity was entirely unintended.--------Chapter 8I hefted the Sig. He had installed what looked like Nitesighters and aftermarket rubber grips.From what I could see, the sidearm Alice wielded had identical modifications aside from the laser."You're not very big on guns, are you?" I asked her.This confused a few readers. To clarify, John was guessing that she wasn't the one who modified her own pistol, as it was unlikely that she'd add the exact same parts as Jack did.Ironically, this tiny detail was a huge pain during writing. It was initially written to be a flashlight on both pistols, until I realized that the compact version did not have a light available for it - in fact, the pistol itself is not readily available in the US. The light also turned out to be a very ugly piece of gear that didn't even function very well for it's price, so I re-wrote it so Jack's sidearm had the Sig Pro laser (for some bizarre reason, the example gun is missing the magazine and decocker. WTF?). The compact pistol was left without accessories.Nitesighters are not conventional tritium night sights, which use radioactive gas to stay visible in most conditions, or fiber optic sights, which capture ambient light.They're more or less glow in the dark, charged from ambient light, and glow very brightly for some time. They can be charged by simply shining a flashlight into them.While they don't stay visible as consistently without charging, Nitesighters do glow brighter then other comparable sights, and are simple to install.--------The clack of claws on cement became repetitive and echoed in a hunter's tattoo."The hell are those!?""Dogs, not live ones either!""Fuck this Resident Evil shit!"This is a pretty clear reference. Zombie dogs, specifically the MA-9 "Cerberus", were featured in virtually every Resident Evil game, near impotent singularly, but devastating in packs. In the games, their claws made an exaggerated click as they moved. Handguns were surprisingly effective against them, a well timed shot blasting them out of the air, as Jack did to protect Alice.--------Bestiary Grey ZombieKnown as the "greys" and previously the "blues", these are the stereotypical "shambler" zombies, slow, rotting, and best killed with a headshot.They can be "killed" with enough body damage, but may arise later with no apparent ill effects. They often attack by grabbing their prey and biting it.The most common result of an infected human.In game, they are the weakest variety of zombie, and common in the areas close to the outpost.Red Zombie "skinned muscle zombie"Typically bulkier and stronger then your average zombie, it is unknown exactly why the red zombies are skinned and blood soaked.They posses incredible strength and are agile. It is very difficult to kill one with conventional body shots. The only relief seems to be that they attack more withprimitive punches and clawing rather then biting. John encounters one in chapter 6.In game, they are among the stronger zombies, encountered roughly in the center of the city.Purple Zombies "scorched zombie"These appear purple due to the burns covering their bodies. Early in the infestation, people tried to dispose of bodies in massive pyres, only to have several awaken.They are seemingly tougher to take down then ordinary zombies due to the scorched tissue covering their bodies. Jack was attacked by such a zombie in chapter 7.These zombies appear several blocks away from the outpost in game, bridging grey and red types. If one goes to the central areas of Fairview, large piles of such scorched zombies can be found in the middle of the street.Zombie DogsJust as agile as they were in life, zombie dogs have spelled death for many a survivor at night. Packs can pose a threat to even the most organized of groups. Thankfully, body trauma seems reasonably effective on these creatures, simplifying combat. They prowl the subways and streets of Fairview, notably in chapter 8.While not included in the full MMORPG Dead Frontier, zombie dogs were featured in Dead Frontier Night 2, and Night 3, stand alone flash games functioning as demos for the full game. Much controversy has been brought up in the matter of them being included or not.WeaponsCertainly my favorite part of this overview, and probably the same for quite a few of the readers.Heckler Und Koch MP5A4 (full stock, navy trigger group)-9mm parabellum, thirty round magazines.-Closed bolt, roller delayed blowback, roughly 700 RPM, and lacks hold open.-Combination safety/selector located above trigger. Safe, semi, auto.-Magazine catch behind magwell, pushed forward while mag is pulled.Some people love the design, others hate that fact that it is a nine-pound handgun. Regardless, the MP5 is a very common weapon in the realm of law enforcement, and is known for controllable bursts.It was a standard weapon for the Fairview SRT team, with a full stock, surefire illuminated foregrip, and typically some sort of reflex sight. Used by officers in chapters 1 through 4.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mossberg 590A1 shotgun-12 gauge, nine round tube magazine.-Pump action.-"Tang" safety on rear of receiver, forward for fire.-Action release behind trigger guard.A direct competitor to the Remington 870 series in US markets, the Mossberg shotguns are very popular to civilian and LE users alike, in addition to military use. The standard 500 and 590 series have polymer trigger groups, the 590A1 designation indicates that the shotgun has a metal trigger group to meet military standards.This particular model comes with a '20 barrel, nine round magazine, ghost ring sights, and a speedfeed stock. (a stock that holds four spare shells)Canonically, it would've had a surefire lighted forearm, but I was unable to find any good images of such.John and a number of other officers carried such shotguns. A 14 inch variant was standard in all squad cars.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Springfield Armory Loaded 1911-.45 ACP, seven, eight, or ten round magazine-Browning Dropping barrel, short recoil-Ambidextrous thumb safeties, up for safe. Can only be applied when hammer is cocked. Grip safety prevents firing without proper grasp on the handgun.-Push button magazine release behind trigger.The SRT is issued Springfield Armory 1911s, government sized loaded handguns for full combat loadouts, and "ultra compact" models for detectives and off duty carry, fed by Wilson Combat eight and ten round magazines.The team members were allowed to carry any side arm of the choice, but the issue 1911s, and variants were relatively popular."Loaded" pistols are build with a forged steel frame and slide, chocobolo grips, tritium sights for low light firing, a five pound trigger pull, and two piece full length recoil guide rod.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Guncrafter Industries Model No. 1 -.50 GI, seven round magazine / .45 ACP, eight round magazine.-Browning Dropping barrel, short recoil-Strong side only thumb safety, up for safe. Can only be applied when hammer is cocked. Grip safety prevents firing without proper grasp on the handgun.-Push button magazine release behind trigger.John differed from other SRT members in carrying a non-standard 1911. The model 1 is essentially an up-scaled 1911 pistol, designed around the .50 cartridge. He installed the .45 ACP conversion, which replaced the barrel, magazine and recoil spring, but the sidearm still used proprietary magazines instead of easily acquired 1911 pattern ones. The Model 1 uses Heinie Straight Eight sights, a full length guide rod and coned barrel. The sights were replaced with tritium three dot Novak sights, and the trigger pull tuned to five pounds.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Colt Model 6721 16 inch-5.56mm NATO, ten, twenty, or thirty round magazine.-Direct impingement gas system.-Safety / selector over left side grip. Must be cocked to move. Front safe, top semi, back auto on select fire variants.-Magazine release right side over magwell.-Bolt release on left side of receiver.One of Colt's many law enforcement carbines, the 16 inch model lacks the ability to use a bayonet or mount an M203, but avoids the legal hassle of being considered a short barrel rifle. It also retains slightly better ballistics then the 14.5 inch military length models. Aside from that, it can fire any 5.56mm or .223 ammo, accept any AR15 pattern magazines, and is quite easily modified with the massive parts AR15 parts market.The Fairview Police department issued a rifle in each squad car, and the SRT team had shortened variants available. The 16 inch "car guns" typically were issued with twenty round magazines, the entry guns with thirty rounders. Both types almost always had Surefire M500 integrated lights, as shown on the left.The flat top receiver allowed most types of sights to be mounted, but the car guns were often left stock.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sage Control Ordnance SL-6-37mm grenade, six round rotating cylinder.-Trigger fires grenade, then advances cylinder.Unfortunately, I do not know much about the controls and safeties of this launcher.The rifled bore is designed for firing kinetic impact projectiles, but it can launch tear gas and similar projectiles quite accurately.It comes standard with ladder sights for arching rounds, but optical sights can be added if needed.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------M79 "Blooper Gun"-40mm grenade, single shot.-Break open, cocked upon closing.-Shotgun style tang safety behind action, forward for fire.-Breech latch directly behind barrel, similarly to a break open shotgun. Activates safety open up opening, snaps back into place when closed.The design of the M79 can quite accurately be described as an oversized shotgun.The controls, grip angle and furniture are identical to that of a break open scattergun.Although the modern SL6 was available, the FPD still stocked several M79s, as they were cheap, simple backup weapons. Officially, they were permanently converted to 37mm, but the insert was quite easily removable to reveal the 40mm bore, as shown in chapter 2.The M79 has fold-up ladder sights to arch in rounds, but they can be folded down to be used as tradition pistol or rifle style sights.In game, the M79 is oddly very common. I tried to give a legitimate reason for such.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sig Pro 2009-9mm Parabellum, 15 round magazine, 13 round compact magazine.-Browning Tilting Barrel.-Decocker behind trigger on left side, push all the way down to put into safe as well.-Magazine release behind trigger on left side, reversible for left handed use.The first of Sig's polymer pistols, the SigPro series retains similar performance to the P220 family, notably in it's reliable function and superior accuracy. They cost less due to a polymer frame, and use a different kind of magazine. The grip panels and backstrap form an exchangeable unit, the pistol being shipped with two different size inserts.The picture has a SigPro 2340, the .40 S&W variant. The SP2009 looks identical aside from trademarks.Unlike the P220 series, the decocker also functions as a safety. Pulled all the way down, it clicks into place and keeps the weapon from firing.One flaw of the original SP2009 design is that the rail would not fit standard lights or lasers.It could only accept proprietary accessories. The SP2022, a later revision, added a picatinny rail to remedy this issue.Jack makes use of a SP2009, with Sig laser sight, and Alice uses a compact variant (on the right). The latter holds two less rounds.Both have rubber grip inserts and Nitesighters.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------That's all for now. If feedback is good, I might do another one of these after the next eight chapters.For now, I'm going to get back the sleep lost working on this.
